Box topping machine



E. G. smumz.

BOX TOPPJNG MACHINE.

APPLlCATION FILED 0CT.13. 19M.

Patented Sept. 2,1919.

nrr izmi 1' SHEETS-SHEET L MIWVEJMS- E. G. STAUDE.

BOX TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED oer-13.1914.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

E. G. STAUDE.

BOX TOPPlNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION man act. 13. 1914.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

I SHEETS-SHEET 3.

wmw m MT/YEJJE Patented Sept. 2,1919.

' Z SHEETS-SHEET 4.

, 5mm mw E mm mm E. e. STAUDE. v BOX TOPPlNG MACHINE.-

APPLICATION FILED OCT- |3| l9l4.

E. G. STAUDE.

BOX TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 13. 1914.

Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

jg 5 132 m? 5 55 E. G. STAUDE.

BOX TOPPING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-13.19l4.

1 Q3 1 98% V. Patented Sept. 2, 1919.

7 SHEETS-SHEET Z- l/YVB/VFOR Emmy 6. 3759005 nnwm e. STAUDE, ormnnneroms, MINNESOTA Boat-momma Macnmn Latinas.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. a, rate.

Application filea October 13, 19%. serial an. esta e.

To all whomz't'may concern: v

Be it known that l, EDWIN Gr. fire-non, a citizen of the United States,resident of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Box-ToppingMachines, of which the following is a specification. V Y I Thisinvention relates to improvements in machines designedparticularly forapplying flexible sheets of paper or other suitable material, or labels,to surfaces of various kinds and more particularly to the top or bottommember of paper or paste-board boxes. The present invention is designedto cover certain improvements and Inod1fica-.

-. tions in machines of the general type illustrated, described andclaimed in my apphcae tions for patent No. 711,001, filed July 22, a1912, issued April 6,1915, No. 1,134,562

and No. 729,427,, filed November 4th, 1912,

issuedDecember 7, 1915, No. 1,163,043.

The invention consists generally means for moistening or wetting andstretching the flexible sheets and applying them While stretched to thesurfaces'to which they are to be secured.

The invention consists further in novel means for feeding the articlesto which the sheets are to be applied. 3

The invention consists further in novel means for feeding the flexiblesheets and registering them with the articles to which they are applied.i

The invention consists further in novel means for applying the glue tothe article to which the flexible sheets are applied.

The invention consists further in the con structions and combinationshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying part .of this specification,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine.

i a portionof the machine, 1

Fig. 3 is a plan view of theisanie,

Fig. 4 is a transverse section on, 1ine4-4= of Fig. 1, a portion of thelarge drum being in elevation,

Fig. 5 is adetail showing the means for drawings forming Fig. 8 is adetail section and elevation'of a portion of the flexible sheet feed.

Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section of a portion of the feed rollshown in Fig. 8.

Figs. 10, 11 and-12, are details of the flexible sheet feeding andstretching devices. .Figs. 13, 14:, 15', 16 and 17 are details of themeans forfeeding the flanged box members, or other'devices to whichtheflexible sheets are applied.

Figs. 18 and 19 are details of means for applying the glue to the boxmember or other article to which the flexible sheet is to be aflixed. e

Fig. 20 is a detail illustrating the means for stretching the flexiblesheet and applying it in its stretched condition to the sur-' face ofthe box member or other article;

The machine members or castings and suitable cross bars extendingtransversely between said side castings and having their ends securedthereto. These cross bars are shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1 of thedrawlngs and I have indicated each cross bar by the .nu-

meral 3. The cross bars 3 not only connect the side members of tpheframe, but they also forim supports for 1 various parts of themechanism.

. V V so The operative parts of the machine are n Supported upon themain frame 2 is an auxiliary frame 4, also composed of side -members orcastings connected by cross bars with bearings for a number oftransverse rotatable shafts hereinafter described.

At the receiving or forward end of the machine, I preferably provide asecond auxiliary or supplemental frame 10', also supported upon the mainframe 2, an H carrying the feed table upoirwhich the box' members orotherartic'les are placed.

A- third supplemental frame 11 .is an ranged at the delivery (and erthe-machine I and is preferably secured to the main frame 2. The frame11 supports the wheel by which the belt that wets and stretchestheflexible sheet, is carried, as hereinafter do scribed.

The feed table.

suitable standards 12, secured upon the aux-' iliary frame 10, andsupporting at their upper ends a-suitable plate 13, preferably providedwith sockets 14, which it upon the ends of the standards 12, and whichare secured in position by suitable set-screws 15. By this means thefeed table may be vertically adjusted toaccommodate box members havingflanges of different depths. Side plates 16 are supported upon the plate13 and are adapted to slide transversely thereon, thereby permitting thefeed table to be adjusted for articles of different widths. Each sideplate is preferablyprovided with a flanged bracket 17, the flanges ofwhich engage the. edges of the plate 13. Set-screws 18 are arranged toclamp the brackets and with them the side plates 16 in-any desiredposition. The plates 16' are provided with the inwardly turned ledges orflanges 19. The plates 16 are adjusted so as to permit the box member orother article to be placed in position as shown in Figs. 13 and 14, withthe edges of the side flanges resting upon the ledges or flanges 19.

For the purpose of regulating the positionof the artlcles placed on thefeed table I provide on the frame 10. standards 20 hav- "ing forkedupper ends.- In these standards are placed .a shaft 21 carrying rolls22.

Said brackets have horizontally projecting arms 23 connected by a rod24. A sleeve 25 is mounted loosely upon the shaft 21 between the rolls22 and a spiral spring 26 connects a lug on the sleeve 25 with a Insecured to the fork 26'. A finger 27 secured to the sleeve-25 projectsdownwardly standing in a substantially vertical position practi'callyflush with the end of the side plates of the feed table. (See Fig. '13).

The box member or article to be fed is placed between the side lates 16of the feed table with the end of t e article resting against the finger27, which forms a stop and determines the position of the article. Whenthe box member or other, article is fed from the table, as hereinafterdescribed, the stop turns against the tension of the spring 26, andpermits the article to move by it and under the rolls 22. These rollstend to hold the article down in proper position when it is engaged andmoved b the carrier hereinafter described. I pre er to provide a secondet of standards 28 upon the auxiliary frame 10 in which a roll 29 ismounted, substantially on a level with the.

rolls 22. (See Fig. 1). The box member or other article being carriedforward from the feed table passes under the roll- 22 and the roll 29and is thereby held down in proper position to pass under the gluingdevice hereinafter described.

The carrier.

I provide means for taking the box mem ber or other article from thefeed table, moving it past the gluing device, where a suitable supply ofglue is applied-to its surface, and then moving said article forward tohave the flexible sheet or label, which in the meantime will have beensuitably wet and stretched, applied thereto. The carrier that I preferto employ consists of a series of carriages arranged to travel uponsuitable tracks or rails, and connected with suitable endless chains bywhich they are moved. Each carriage is provided with a sectional supportwhich may be adjusted to adapt it for carrying flanged articles of anydesired length and Width.-

The frame of the machine isprovided at its rear end with a suitableshaft 30 having a pair of sprocket wheels 32, and at its forward endwith studs 31 upon which are arranged the sprocket wheels 33. (See 'Fig.The shaft 30 and the studs 31 are mounted in suitable boxes, and theboxes supporting the studs 31 are preferably made adjustable. The studs31 as here shown are mounted in boxes 35 arranged between the sidemembers of the frame 2 and held in position by bolts 36 which passthrough slots 37 in the frame. Adjusting screws 38 are provided by meansof which these boxes may be adjusted lengthwise of the machine. Sprocketchains 39 pass around the sprocket wheels 32 and 33, these chainsextendin lengthwise of the machine parallel to eac other. A carriage 40is connected to the chains 39 at suitable intervals throu bout thelength of said chain. As here siown each carriage consists of a flatplate ro-- vided with suitable ears 41 throu h w ich extends a shaft 42provided wit wheels 43. These ears and shafts are located at the forwardend of the carriage. At the rear end of the carriage is an elongatedrecess formed by a narrow bar 44 secured to lugs 45 by suitable boltsor'screws 46.

ends of the shaft 47 are provided with suit- I able wheels48. -The shaft47 is preferably formed of a flat bar having cylindrical ends.

The flat portion of the sha extends through the recesses formed by thebars 44 and lugs 45. This arrangement ermits the shaft 47 to slide inthese slots.-

preferably rovid ed' with narrow si e walls 49 having ori'zontal slots50 arranged in the rear portion of" said walls. Sectional plates 51 and52 are arran ed to stand upon edge on the carriage 40 j by thetransverserods 53 and 54, w ich extend through the sidewalls 49 andthrough said plates 51 and 52. The rod :53 which is locatedat the frontof the carriage extends through the plates 51. The rod 54,

which extends throu h the slot 50 in the side walls 49, .exten s throughthe plates 52. The plates are preferab y alternately arranged, as shownin Fig. 6 of the drawings, and the plates 52 are adapted to slidebetween the plates 51-, this movement being ermitted by the slots in theside walls 49. ach pair of plates 51 is preferably separated by a washer55 and the plates 52 are toward the front of the carriage or vice versa.The slots 50 permit the sliding of the plates 52. These slots arepreferably of such length and they are so arranged as to permit thepoints 58 to be moved forward so as to be opposite the point 57. It isadjustable as to width by separating the plates into two groups andinserting spacing blocks 59 between them. (See Figs. 14 and 16.)

The frame of the machine is provided with an upper horizontal track orrail 60 supported upon blocks 61, and with a lower horizontal rail ortrack 62 supported upon brackets 63 secured preferably to the'lowercross bars 3 on the frame of the machine.

The chains 39 are provided. with ears 64 to which the ends of the shafts42 and 47 are connected.

The wheels or rolls 43 and 48 of the carriages 40 are adapted to restand ride upon these rails. They will ride upon the upper rail .when theyare movin the box members or other articles forwar through'the ma chine,and they move upon the lower rail 62 when they are traveling back empty,with the lower reaches of the chains, after having delivered the boxmembers or articles carried by them.

ach carria e 40 is etween the sidewalls 49- Theseplates are held'inositi0n In passin around the sprocket wheels 32 and 33 t eshafts 47slide in the slots formed by the lugs 45 and bar 44, as clearly shown inFigs. 13 and 17 of the drawings.

As the carriage is i brought around the sprocket wheelv 33 it stands atan angle to the horizontal, asfshown in Fig. 33, and the points 57engage the forward flange of the box member, that is on the feed tableand carry the same forward with the carriage, the stop 27 turn ngagainst the tension of the sprmg 26 to permit this movement.

\ After the carriage passes around the wheels 33 it comes into ahorizontal position and as the box member leaves the feed table it dropsdown over the sectional support on the carnage and moves forward in asubtantially horizontal plane. By means of spacing blocks 59 enough ofthe plates may be brought together to correspond to the width of the boxmember, or other article, and the plates 52 may be adjustedlongitudinally to adapt the sectional support to the length of saidarticle. The sectional support formed by the upper edges of the plates51 and 52 Willpresent a fiat upper surface forming'a firm and smoothbearing through out its length and width for the articles being. carriedforward and to which the flexible sheet or label is to be affixed. Asthe car.- riages pass around the sprockets 32 at'fthe other end of themachine, as indicated in Fig. 17 of the drawings, the articles to whichthe sheets or labels have been aflixed will be discharged, and they maybe received upon an endless belt or carrier as illustrated in Fig.1. Iprefer to arrange one of the lower rails 62 with its end projectingbeyond the center of the wheel 32 (see Figs. 1 and 1 7.,..aaaaasane-ma.are flange of the box The gbwe applying device.

' While the box member-or other articles are being carried forwardthrough the machine by the means hereinbefore described,

I desire to apply an'even coating of glue to the upper surface of saidarticles. For this purpose I provide a glue pot or receptacle 66,preferably in the form of an open tray, that is adjustably supported in'th'eframe of the machine above the line of travel of the carriages 40.As here shown the glue receptacle is provided with legs 66" havinghorizontal flanges at the lower end, and these flanges are broughtupward into'recesses i n;the under side of plates 76' secured to theframe of the machine. They are held in position by clip plates 77 se-'cured by screws 7 8. By this means the glue receptacle can be adjustedlengthwise of the machine.

A counter shaft 67 which is mounted in *bearings in the frame of themachine and which is driven from another shaft, hereinafter referred to,by a suitable sprocket chain, is provided with a sprocket wheel 68,around which extends a driving chain 69.

This chain extends around a sprocket wheel 70 mounted on a stud 71 andhaving secured to or formed integrally therewith a gear 72,

which meshes with a pinion 73 .on the shaft 74 that is mounted in bearinboxes 75 on the frame of the machine. his shaft extends across and abovethe glue receptacle and it is provided with a drum 76 that projects intosaid glue receptacle, dipping into the glue or paste therein.

A sleeve 7 5 surrounds the shaft 74 within one of the bearings 75 andprojects inwardly beyond said\bearing. An arm 79 is pivotally supportedon the sleeve 75. -At one end of this arm a shaft 78 is mounted whichcarries a drum 77. The other end of the arm has an upwardly projectinglug 80.provided with a slot 81, and a shaft 82 carrying a small drum 83is secured in this slotand is provided with an adjusting screw 84 bymeans of which the position of the shaft 82 in the slot 81 mayberegulated. A handle 85 is connected to the end of the arm 79 and alever 86 provided with a hook 87 is pivoted upon the'side of the arm 79near the end thereof. A spring 88 is arranged under the "rotated by therotation of the shaft 74 andend of the arm whlch carries the small drum.83 and said spring tends to raise this end of the arm and to de ressthe opposite end, carrying the drum 7. A lug 89 1s provided below thearm 79 and when thisend of the arm is depressed the hook 87 engages saidlug 89 thereby raising the opposite end of the arm 79 and holding it inits raised osition. A'gear 90 is provided on the shaft 74 which isinmesh with a gear 91 on the end of the drum 774 A belt 92 passes around'the'drums 77 and 83 and over the drum 76.

(See'Fig. 2). 0

In. operation the drum 76 1s positlvely the drum 77 is positivelyrotated by means of the gears 90 and 91 connecting said drums. The drum76 running in the glue pot will take up considerable glue. This will becarried up .and come in contact with the outer surface of the belt 92.As the belt travels in the direction of the arrow in'Fig. 2, the

outer surface of the belt, with'the glue thereon, will come incontact-w1th the upper surface of thebox, box cover or article being:moved forward by the carrier hereinbefore described. The surface of thebelt is caused to travel at a less rate of speed than thetravel ingcarriages, which carry-the article's.

The result will be that as said carriages pass under the drum 77 thetops of the articles being carried forward by the carriages will passunder the belt 92, and, owing to the greater speed'of the carriage,there will be a wiping action between the belt and the surface of thearticle being carried forward.

' This will spread an even coating of glue over said surface, and thearticle will then pass on to receive the flexible sheet or label ashereinafter described. When the machine is,

running idle the operator can, by pressing down upon the handle 85, tiltthe arm 79 upon the sleeve 75' and thereby raise the drum77 and the beltso that said belt will be free from contact with the carriages orartlcles thereon. The arm can be locked in this position by means of thehook 87 and the stud 89. The slot 81 in the lug permits the upper orsmall drum 83 to be adusted so as to tighten the belt 92. An adjustablestop 93 is rovided to limit the movement of the arm 79. A suitablescraper 94 is arranged inconnection with the drum 76 so as to remove thesurplus glue thererom.

The flexible sheet feeding device.

The flexible sheets or labels that are to be applied to thebox membersor other articles hereinbefore referred to are placed loosely in pilesin a suitable hopper, from which they are removed one by one and fedforward to be mo1stened,'stretched, and applied to the articles carriedforward by the traveling carriages.

As herembefore stated 8 and 9 are stamachine and having their endsmounted in the auxiliary frame 4. suitable casting ing-across from oneto the other. These boards or plates are preferably separated as shown1n Figs. 2 and 3, leaving a narrow tionary bars or shafts extendingacross. the

space or slot between them. Upright plates 102 that form' the side wallsof the hopper are adjustably secured upon the'plates 101 at the properdistanceapart to accommodate the particular flexible sheet or label thatis to be applied and these side plates are held in any desired positiony means of screws 108 engaging nuts 104.- on the under side of theplates 101. These screws may be moved alongthe space between the twoplates 101 thereby adjusting the upright plates 102 with them and saidscrews will then be tightened so as to lock said upri ht plates in anydesired position. A suitab e sheet of tin or other material 104 ispreferably placed in the bottom of the hopper between the side plates102. (See Figs. 2 and 3). At

the lower end of the hopper suitable retarding blocks 105, preferablyformed of rubber or other suit-able material, are secured to suitablearms preferably in the form of bellcranks 106 that are pivoted near thecenter of the machine upon thestuds 107, preferably supported upon thebar or shaft 8. For adjusting these retarding blocks I preferablyprovide a stud 108 having a threaded end upon which is placed ahand-wheel 109. This stud rojects from the lug 107 and it is surroundedby a suitable spring 110. By this means the surfaces of the retardingblocks may be elevated or depressed as may be required for the properfeeding of the sheets from the hopper.

The shaft 67 hereinbefore referred to, extends across the machine, ashort distance above the lower end of the hopper from which the flexiblesheets are fed. (See Fig.

2). This shaft preferably carries two feed ing wheels 111 suitablyspaced apart and provided with suitable friction blocks 111 arranged tocontact with the upper surface of the uppermost sheet in the hopperclose to the lower edge thereof and directly over the retarding block105. (See Fig. 2). The

rotation of these wheels with the shaft 67 causes the flexible sheets tobe fed successively from the hopper beneath said wheels 111. As saidflexible sheets pass under the 1 wheels 111 they are taken up by narrowbelts 112 mounted upon the rolls 113, 114, the rolls 113 being arrangeddirectly below said wheels 111, on a shaft 113, while the rolls 114 aremounted on a shaft 114'. Suitable guide-plates 115 are arrangedon-opposite sides of the belts 112 and these plates are capable oflateral adjustment, being locked in position by adjustingscrews 116extending through a slot in the cross bar 6, and

having nuts 117 located upon their lower ends within said cross bar.These guideplates extendtvertically parallel with the belts 112' and inoperating the machine these guide-plates are adjusted to correspond tothe width of the flexible sheets that are used. Each of the guide-plates115 has ahorizontal ledge or flange 115 arranged substan-' tially in thesame plane with the belts 112.

These flanges support the edges of the flexi ble sheet as they are movedforwardby the belts 112. The guides plates 115 preferably extend fromthe feed rollers to the stop 121. Beyond the discharge ends of the belts112 the flanges 115 are preferably made of slightly greater width, andthe wider section has a downwardly turned lip 115 as shown in Figs. 2and 3 of the drawings, to prevent the end of the flexible sheet fromcatching on the end of this wider section of the flange.

Above each of the belts 112 is an arm 118 secured to the cross bar orstationary shaft 7 and having a forked and slotted lower end carrying asmall idle wheel 119. These arms extend overthe belts 112 and the rolls119 rest upon the upper surfaces of the flexible sheet, puttingsuflicient weight on the sheets to cause them to move forward with thebelts. The flexible sheets travel forward, passlng over rollers 120,until their lower edges come in contact with the stop 121. The

lower ortions of the sheets will then rest upon t e upper surface of thecross be; 5. The parts w1ll then be substantially in the position shownin Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The stop 121 is formed upon the lower end of a finger 122 secured to ablock 123 that is clamped upon a rock shaft 124. This shaft said stop tobe moved forward for the next step in the operation of the machine.

To prevent the flexible sheet from moving upward with the stop 121, Ipreferably provide a stripping device consisting of a bar 120 secured tothe stationary shaft 7 and extending forward and provided with a forkedend 120 that straddles the finger 122 carrying the stop 121.. (See Figs. 2, 3, 10, 11 and 12).

, Below the shaft 124 is a shaft 128 having its ends mounted in bearingsin' the frame of the machine. This shaft is provided with forwardlyprojecting arms 129in the ends of which is mounteda shaft 130, uponwhich the rollers 120 hereinbefore referred to, are mounted. While theshaft 128-is normally stationary it can be moved in its bearings so asto raise or lower the shaft,130 carrying the box member or other articlethat is brought forward by the carrier. (See 11 These rollers preferablydo not come in contact with the upper surface of the article upon whichthe glue has been spread, in

the normal 0 eration of the machine, but if her or other article was tocome in contact with the rollers 120, it would result in causing theflexible sheets to stick to-sald rollers and would thus interfere withthe work of the machine. Above the shaft 130 is a shaft 132 carrying thefeed rollers 133., These thereby .to selves and rollers are preferablysecured to said shaft and they rotate therewith. The shaft 132 ismounted to rotate in bearings carried by the forward end of rock arms134. The rear ends of these armsiare secured to the rock shaft 135 thatis mounted in bearings in the frame of the machine. An arm 136 issecured to this shaft and its end is provided with a wheel 137 thatrides-upon the edge of the cam 138 that is upon the shaft 67. The

operation of this part of the mechanism is --to cause the shaft 132 tobemoved downward causing the rolls 133 to press upon the upper surface ofthe flexible sheet and 'p said sheet'between themti rolls 120. The shaft132 is provided near one end -with a pinion 139 that is arranged tomesh-with a sllding rackbar 140. The opposite end of this rack-bar isconnected to a fork 141 that straddles the shaft 67 and is providedwith. a roller 142- adapted to be engaged by a cam' 143 ar-' ranged onsaid shaft 67. A spring 144 nor-- mally draws the fork toward the shaft67.

A housing 145 is provided that incloses the ;l*ower end of the rack-bar140 from the pinion 139. (See Fig.- 8). This holds these parts in meshwith each other notwithstanding-the fact that the shaft 132 is raisedand lowered to bring the rolls 133 out of or into contact with the uppersurface of the flexible sheet as hereinbefore described.

In the operation of the machine the parts are so timed that when therolls 133 are brought downward to grip the flexible sheet betweenthemselves and the rolls 120 the stop 121 is lifted to release saidsheet, and the rolls 133 are .then rotated, through the rackbar 140 andthe pinion 139, thereby feeding the flexible sheetforward into positionto be acted upon in the next step in the operation of the machine.

Memes for wetting and stretching the flexible sheets. The next step inthe operation of the machine, wets' and stretches the flexible sheets,and, while they are in stretched condition, applies them to the freshlyglued surfaces of the box members or other articles to which they are tobe affixed.

The auxiliary frame 11 rests upon the main frame of the machine, beingheld in position by clip plates 146; (See Fig. 4). A shaft 147 ismounted in bearings in this frame and is provided with a hand wheel 148and with .the two short. worm-screws 149. These screwsengage worm wheels150 upon a shaft 151 having threaded ends that engage blocks 152 uponthe main frame of the-machine. Byturning the hand-wheel 148 theauxiliary frame 11 and the parts carried thereby are movedlongitudinally on the mainframe of the machine. The lower part of theauxiliary frame 11 is preferably in the form of standards havinginwardly turned upper portions to which are secured circular plates 153,which form the upper part of the auxiliary frame. Sa1 d plates arepreferably provided with a senes of openings and with inturned circularflanges 154.;v They are also preferably.

provided with ears 155 connectedflti'y rods 156. These'p'l'ates alsohave suitable bearlngs 157 in which is mounted a shaft 158 carrylng awide-faced wheel 159. This wheel may be of any suitable construction.I'prefer to provide an ordinary wheel having ahub, a. series of spokesand a smooth and preferably sheet metal rim, secured to the outer ends1,4 and 5). A suitable water trou h 160 is supported upon hangers 161beneat the upper part of theauxlllaryframe. Within this trough isarranged 'an idle roller 162. This roller is preferably formed of feltor other suitable material. The hangers 161 are preferably provided withinclined grooves 161 and the water trough is provided with ribs 160adapted to en age with and slide in these grooves, and t e relationofthe trough to the surface of the beltis such that the contact betweenthe surface of the roll and the surface ofthe belt is re ulated byadjusting v the trough longitudinal? means of suitable adjusting screws163. Clamping-screws 164 may be provided upon the hangers for lockingthe trough and roll after the same. have been adjusted to the desiredosition. A second roller 164 is preferab y supported above the trough160 of said spokes. (See Figs.

y on the hangers by with its surface in contact with the surface of thebelt. This roll is preferably supported by ad'ustable hangers 163whereby the pressure tween the roll and the belt may be regulated. Thisroll is designed to re- 166 mounted in bearings 167 and arranged abovethis roller, and referably mounts in bearings in standar s 178 are twoidle guide-rollers 168 and 169. Abelt 170 referably formed of rubberpasses aroun the wheel 159 and the roll 165. The belt also passesoutside of the ide rollers 168 and 169. The belt passes tween the rolls162 and 164 and the face of the wheel 159.

It will be noted that the roll 165 is-co'nsiderably smaller than thewheel 159, and

hence that said belt is 'ven a short turn as it asses around the ro 165.

ounted upon a shaft 166 are a pair of swinging yokes 171. These yokesextend below the face of the roll 165 and each has mounted in it a rollof small diameter 172 having a series of annular ribs upon its surface.The ends of this shaft 172 are mounted in blocks 173 arran ed in slotsin said yokes and'normally hel in an elevated position by springs 174..The yokes 171 are not mounted directly upon the shafts 166 but uponstationary sleeves 175 through which said shaft passes, thesesleevesbemg held in hearings in the frame of the machlne.

(See Fig. 7). A'stationary cam 176 is adjustably secured near each endof the roll 165 upon said sleeve. The end of said cam is inclined and islocated very close to thestop 121 hereinbefore referredto. When theyokes 171 are in position to bring the ends of the shafts 172 againstthe inclined ends of the cams 176, the'roll 172 is moved away from thesurface of the belt. (See 12.)

When the yokes are rocked as hereinafter described so as to move theroll 17 2 away from the ends of the stationary cams 176, the springs 171 move the roll 172 agalnst the surface of the belt. (See Figs 2, 10 and'fhe ribs on the small roll 17 2 have preferably verynarrow faces. (SeeFig. 7.) The purpose of this construction is to cause the roll topresent a small amount of surface to the flexible sheet which passesbetween the roll and the belt, and thereb prevent the sticking of% thesheet to this rol If an ordiroll were used the sheet might stick to t eroll and wind u on it instead of adhering to the belt an passing alongwith it as hereinafter explained.

The upper end of each yoke 171 is made in the form of a gear segment177. (See Figs. 10, 11 and 12.) A rock-shaft 178 is mounted in hearingsin the standards 178 above the roll 165 and this shaft is provided witharms 179 having gear. segments 180 that mesh with the gear segments 177on the yokes 171. (See Figs. 2, 7, 10, 11 and 12.)

A rod 181 is connected to an arm 182-on the-rock shaft 178 and this armcarries a roller 183 bearing against the face of the cam 184-on theshaft 67. A spring 185 is connected to the rod 181 and to the stationshaft carrying ary shaft 7. r This spring holds the roller 183 at alltimes in contact with the face of the cam 184;. The rod 181 is providedat its end with a fork 186 that embraces the shaft 67 and serves toguide the rod-in'its 1o reciprocatory movement.

v Drawing mam.

It'will be understood'that the various arts of the machine maybe drivenfrom a me shaft or other suitable source of'power bly any deslredarrangement of driving belts, s afts, pulleys and gears. I have shown inF1g. 1 of the drawin a shaft 187 mounted 1n bearmgsm the me of themachine. so Thls shaft is provided with a pulle 188 and 1s driven by asuitable'belt 189, w ich may receive power from any-suitable device. Theshaft 187 is also provided with a pinion 190 which meshes with a gear191 on a shaft 35 192, also mounted in bearin in the main frame of themachine. A p-mion 193 is arranged between the ear 191 and a suitable ear194 upon the s aft 30. (See Fig. 4.)

he gear 191 also drives a gear pinion 195, upon 'a stud 196. This pinionhas a sprocket pinion connected to it and a sprocket chain 197 extendsfrom this sprocket pinioil-to the sprocket 197 on the shaft 67. An idlerP1111011 198 1s driven .by the pinion 195 and this idler pinion engagesthe gear 199 upon the shaft 166 of the roll 165. The shaft 67 isprovided with a suitable gear 200 which meshes with a pinion (not shown)on the t e belt ulley 113.

I do not limit myse f however, to any particular arrangement of thedriving mechanism of the machine. The same maybe varied in manyparticulars without departing from my invention.

General operation.

carriage with its front flange as illustrated in Fig. 13, and itisfmovedforward by the carrier and receives an even coating of glue uponits u per surface as. it passes the glue applying evice. At the properpoint in its travel the flexible sheet is applied.

. The flexible sheets are placed in the hopper arranged to receive abunch of said sheets with their lower ends feathered out as shown inFig. 2 of the drawing. These sheets are removed one at a time from thetop of the bunch and are carried forward by the belts 112 and each sheetis brought against the stop 121, where it is held until the proper timefor its next movement.

When the sheet is in this position the roller 172wil1 be in front of thestop 121, as'shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and it will remain in thisposition until the sheet that has previously been applied to the belthas been wet and stretched and applied .to' the box member orotherzarticle. At the proper time in the operation of the machine theyoke 171 will be oscillated and the roller 172 will be moved from theposition shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings to substantially the positionshown in Fig. 10. At the same time the gripped between said roller andthe surface 'riages is=so timed that of the belt. The roller 172continues to move forward as the yokes' supporting the same are rockeduntil said roller comes substantially in the position shown'in Fig. 11.During this time it wi-lha-ve pressed the flexible sheetagainst the wetsurface of the belt, and the sheet will adhere to the belt and passalong with it, leaving the roller 172 in substantially the positionshown in Fig. 11. As heretofore explained the surface of the roller172is reduced by means of the grooves formed in the ribs thereon, so thatthere is little tendency of adherence between the flexible sheet andthis roller.- The flexible sheet adhering to the belt travels forwardand passes by the wetting roller 162, where it receives a thoroughwetting. The surplus water is removed by the roll 164. The sheetcontinues to travel with the belt and the wetting ofthe sheet will causeit to stretch so that there will usuall -be a number of wrinkles in thesheet when it reaches the point where the belt begins to travel aroundthe guide rolls '168 and 169 and the roll 165.

I have illustrated this by the detail view a Fig. 20. As the belttravels around theroll 165 its outer surface moves through a greaterradius than its inner surface, and

' hence the surface of the belt is stretched at this point, and theadhering wet label or flexible sheet will also be stretched. Theflexible sheet has now made a complete cir cuit with the belt and gotback to the point at which it started. The travel of the car ust as theedge of the sheet reaches the point at which it can come in contact withthe box cover or other article, the .end of the box member ,or otherarticle reaches the. same point. (See Fig. 20). In the forward movementcle from this be pressed upon the top of the'article, which the articleas the of the arti-- point the stretched sheet will is firmly heldbythesectional-support on.

the carriage, and the sheet and the article will be firmly pressedtogether, and-will be caused to adhere by the coating of glue upon theupper surface of the article,

The flexible sheet being applied .in its stretched condition, nowrinkles will appear in the same after it is aflixed to the article.

On the contrary the sheet will present a smooth and attractiveappearance,

articles the carrler herein shown and described is employed. It isobvious, however,

that if it is desired to apply the flexible sheets to cardboard or otherarticles not provided with flanges, the same can be done by substitutingfor the carrier herein shown and described a carrier adapted to feedflat articles. In thisoperationthe structure and arrangement of themeans for feeding, stretchingand applying the flexible sheets can beused without material change.

It is obvious that the details of construction may be modified in manyparticulars without departing from my invention.

I claim as my. invention:

l The combination, with means for feedmg in succession articles to eachof which a flexible sheet or label is to be affixed, and means forgumming the surface of each article, of means for feeding a series offlexible sheets or labels, means for causing the forward edge of eachflexible sheet or label to register with a'predeterminedline on thewhich itsurface to which the sheet or label is to be a'flixed, and meansfor pressing each flexible sheet or label against the gummed surface ofarticle and the sheet or label are advanced. 2. The combination, withmeans for feeding insuccession articles to each of which a flexiblesheet or label is to be aflixed, and means for gumming the surface ofeach article,.of means for feeding a series of flexible sheets orlabels, forward edge of each flexible sheet .or label to register with apredetermined line on the L surface to which the sheet or label is to beaffixed, and a drum arranged to press each flexible sheet or labelagainst the gummed means for causing the surface of the article as thearticle and the sheet or label are moved by said drum.

3. The combination, wlth a feed table adapted to receive and hold aflanged box rate-pee member, of feeding means composed of adjustablesections adapted to lie within the flan ed box member in the operationof feedlng the same, means for gumming the surface of said box member, aflexible sheet feeding. means, means for registering the flexible sheetwith the box member, and means for pressing the flexible sheet upon thegummed surface of the box member.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be applied, of a gluereceptacle arranged above said feeding means, a drum, arranged abovesaid feeding means with its axis at right angles to the line of feed,means for vertically adjusting said drum, an endless belt arranged topass over said glue receptacle and around said drum, means fortransferring glue to the surface of the belt and means for driving saidbelt at a surface speed less than the surface speed of the feedingmeans.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be applied, of a gluereceptacle arranged above said feeding means, a drum arranged above saidfeeding means with its axis at right angles to the line of feed, meansfor vertically adjusting said drum, an endless belt arranged to passover said glue receptacle and around said drum, and means fortransferring glue to the surface of the belt.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be applied, of a gluereceptacle arranged above said feeding means, a drum arranged above saidfeeding means with its axis at right angles to the line of feed, meansfor vertically adjusting said drum, an endless belt arranged to passover said glue receptacle and'around said drum, and, a glue transferringdrum arranged within said receptacle and in engagement-with the surfaceof the belt.

7 In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an em ticle to which a flexible sheet is to be aflixed,

' of means arranged to hold a plurality of flexible sheets, means forfeeding said sheets in succession, a stop arranged to engage and holde'ach sheet at a predetermlned point its forward movement, means formoving said stop out of the path of movement of said sheet, feed rollsarranged to engage and move forward said sheet after its release fromsaid stop, and means for appging the sheet to the surface of the artl e.

8. In amachine of the class described, the

combination, with means for feeding an article to which a flexible sheetis to be affixed, of a hopper arranged to contain a plurality offlexible sheets, means for feeding said sheets in succession from saidhopper, a stop arranged to engage and hold each sheet at a predeterminedpoint in its forward movement, means for moving said stop out of thepath of movement of said sheet, feed rolls arranged to engage and moveforward said sheet after its release from said stop, means for wettingand stretching said flexible sheet and means for applying said sheet inits Wet and stretched condition to the surface of the article.

9. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be affixed, of meansfor feeding a flexible sheet, an endless belt against the surface ofwhich said flexible sheet is fed, and to which the sheet adheres, means'for wetting the belt andthe sheet adhering thereto, and means forbringing the sheet while carried by the belt into contact with thesurface of the article, thereby causing the sheet in a wet condition tobe applied to the article.

10. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be affixed, means forfeeding a flexible sheet, an endless belt, a wheel around which saidbelt passes, a second wheel of smaller diameter than the first namedwheel around which said belt also passes, means for applying theflexible sheet to the surface of said belt, means for wetting the beltand the flexible sheet adhering thereto, and' means for bringing thesheet while it is adhering to said belt into contact with the surface ofthe article to which it is to be affixed.

11. In a machine of the class described, the combination, with means forfeeding an article to which a flexible sheet is to be affixed, of meansarranged to hold a plurality of flexible sheets, means for feeding saidsheets in succession, a stop arranged. to engage each sheet at apredetermined point in its forward movement, means for moving said stopout of the path of movement of said sheet, feed rolls arranged to moveforward said sheet after its release from said stop, and a drum arrangedto engage said sheet and press it against thesurface of the article. a a

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 9th day of October,1914.

EDWIN G. STAUDE.

